This time, Huizenga's made the right move

ETHAN J. SKOLNICK COMMENTARY

April 1, 2008|ETHAN J. SKOLNICK COMMENTARY

PALM BEACH — During his 18 years of Dolphins ownership, H. Wayne Huizenga has never held a significant football trophy aloft. Instead, he has held countless news conferences, heralding one savior after another.

Monday at The Breakers, Huizenga held another, after his fellow NFL owners voted unanimously to approve his sale of half the franchise and stadium to developer Stephen M. Ross for $550 million.

"It's bittersweet," Huizenga said.

It's for the best.

This has a shot to be the most inspired decision and successful transition of Huizenga's Dolphins tenure.

It looks like he saved his best move for last.

"I love the Dolphins," Huizenga said. "I wanted to be sure that the Dolphins were left in the hands of someone who had the wherewithal to make the decisions they needed to make."

Dolphins fans may not believe this, but they could have done worse than Huizenga all these years. Check out the Clippers, Knicks, Raiders. You could do worse in this town - just ask Marlins fans. Huizenga has had good intentions. He has avoided meddling, provided resources, recruited the hottest coaching prospects.

Unfortunately, he has been beset by clumsy execution, betrayed by misplaced faith and beleaguered by lousy luck. He has been belittled because of silly statements - including some at The Breakers, where he once blamed a season on Olindo Mare, compared A.J. Feeley to Dan Marino, and said he kept Dave Wannstedt because of the coach's piety.

Now he has bestowed great responsibility upon Ross, expressing confidence that the latter would be a "good steward." For a second straight time, following the Bill Parcells hire, it appears that Huizenga has trusted the right person. This wasn't entirely a philanthropic transaction, of course. Huizenga faced succession and estate issues; he acknowledged Monday that his children had no real interest in running the team. He had to find someone who could not only afford the hefty price tag now, but could afford to absorb the rest of the cost as Huizenga's share shrunk significantly in the coming years.

Ross was the ideal buyer, not just for Huizenga, but for Dolphins fans.

He can afford to invest, splurge. Barring a complete collapse of his personal portfolio, we shouldn't hear him crying poor like Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria. He shouldn't be leveraged into penny-pinching.

"We all know or have heard of owners who couldn't step up when the time came," Huizenga said, noting the costs associated with everything from stadium renovation to roster reloading to the recent coaching staff firings. "I didn't want that to happen to the Dolphins."

Ross was an ideal inheritor due to his philosophy, one he shares with Huizenga.

"Hire the best people and let them do the job," Ross said.

That remains the right long-term approach in sports, Huizenga's hiring gaffes aside.

Ross was ideal because of his background and his allegiance, which leads to a greater likelihood of treating the team like a public trust. He isn't a carpetbagger. He is a Csonka lover.

That hearkens back to the Dolphins' glory days, days Huizenga never recaptured. Now he can fade from view, but not until Ross gets comfortable with the operation while Parcells - who dealt with ownership changes in two prior stops - becomes comfortable with the new owner. This is a sound plan.

"I can keep flying in my helicopter to the games, I can still cheer in my box," Huizenga said upon leaving the ballroom stage. "I just don't have to talk to you guys."

He might want to. We might be talking about how, at the end, he made his best move.